Rep. Richard Nelson of Mandeville says after reviewing the latest LEAP testing results, he will bring back his literacy bill again next year.
The latest LEAP results showed a continued decline in reading scores, with 41% of students below grade level.
He said while his other bills promoting phonics instruction passed, the final key reform, prohibiting the promotion of 3rd graders who repeatedly fail reading assessments, failed by two votes in the state senate. Adopted in Mississippi in 2013, he said this policy has helped their students blow past Louisiana in 4th grade literacy with the fastest improvement in the country.
Nelson said third grade retention works because it makes everyone accountable: students, parents, teachers, and schools.
Nelson said critics misguidedly worried that too many students would be held back or that it will negatively impact minority students. In Mississippi, 8% of 3rd graders were held back the first year, but this percentage fell in each subsequent year. Black students also score significantly higher in Mississippi than Louisiana, and there is a smaller achievement gap between black and white students. Ensuring minority students can read is the best way to help them achieve.
